The full-scale prototype above is Global Thermostat’s Menlo Park, CA, atmospheric CO2 capture technology. It’s not mention in the Nature Outlook article, but preliminary numbers show it can remove 1 ton CO2 using waste heat at $20 per ton. This “waste heat” is important as with the coming of $0.01 kWh solar electricity, waste heat can be phased out and replaced with this highly economic solar energy.

From the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Nature Outlook

An article review by Bruce Melton
First published in the Austin Sierran in March 2018

Atmospheric carbon capture is not yet a mainstream topic in climate policy, but to meet even the goals of the Paris Agreement, it is something that we must do in addition to emissions reductions. This article is a good start at summarizing the technology available today. It comes from one of the most important academic publishers in the world, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). 

Though it it is not all-inclusive, and the costs cited are not reflective of the most advanced industrial scale trials already built and operational, it is one of the better articles available and a must read to understand the bleeding edge of science that has not yet made it into the mainstream discussion in a meaningful way.

Bourzac, Emissions: We have the Technology, Nature Outlook, October 11, 2017

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